Togetherness
by Hobbit985
Summary: TPOTW ends differently. The Doctor is scared. He can't loose Rose again. But will taking her back to her Mum mean loosing her anyway? 9thRose. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Rose stepped out the TARDIS he face tear streaked. The power flowing through her veins, the thoughts pouring into her head; this was what it felt like to be the Doctor. The feeling of being totally alone in the world.

"Rose, what've you done?" Moaned the Doctor running across the control room of satellite five.

"I looked into the TARDIS and the TARDIS looked into me," Rose replied, her voice misty.

"Rose, the TARDIS heart is a time vortex, no one is supposed to look into it, not even me," the Doctor couldn't bear to see the look of pain in Rose's eyes. A look that, until now, had only resided in himself. "Rose, let it go, let the power go."

Rose could hear the Doctor begging some where in the distance but he own self was being overpowered by the TARDIS.

"I can't," she whispered.

"You can, you have to Rose. It'll kill you if you don't and I can't go through that again. A part of me died when I thought you were dead Rose. Let the power go, please." The Doctor could feel the tears welling up in his eyes. "Rose, don't leave me."

Rose made up her mind, she would force the power out, but first she had to revive Jack. In her heart she knew he'd died so using the TARDIS she bought him back before destroying every TARDIS in existence. But the power had too strong a hold over Rose; she'd let it get too far.

The Doctor knew what he had to do. The power of the TARDIS needed somewhere to go. So the Doctor leaned forward and met Rose in what he thought was a fantastic kiss.

Jack stood still for a minute, shocked. The Dalek's had killed him, yet here he was stood in exactly the same spot as he had done when they'd cornered him. He came back to his senses and ran back to the control room. The sight that met his eyes was surprising. Jack had always known that the Doctor and Rose worshipped each other, but seeing them kissing still made him stop.

"And I thought that guy didn't do domestic," he muttered to himself.

The pair broke apart, the Doctor staggered and Rose fainted. Jack ran forward to help the Doctor get Rose into the TARDIS.

"What happened?" He asked closing the TARDIS doors.

The Doctor didn't answer until he had got Rose into the bed at the back of the TARDIS and set the ship into flight.

"Satellite five should be able to sort itself out now," the Doctor muttered. Jack rolled his eyes.

"What happened?" He repeated more softly this time.

"We kissed," the Doctor replied not taking his eyes of the control panel. He opened the door to the heart of the TARDIS and let the power flow through his fingers back to where it belonged.

"Really?" Jack asked sarcastically. "I meant what happened to the Dalek's and me. One minute I was dead, the next I'm back inside the TARDIS with Rose who's collapsed and you in a state of shock because you kissed. Something weird went on."

"Rose looked into the heart of the TARDIS," the Doctor said closing the TARDIS heart up and locking it with his sonic screwdriver.

"She did what?" Jack walked forward to the bed. "Is she ok, she's not going to…"

"She's fine, she let the power go and she should wake up in a bit, though how much she'll remember after she looked into the TARDIS heart, I don't know." The Doctor flicked a few switches and the TARDIS began to hum.

Jack looked down at Rose who was so beautiful when she wasn't scowling at the Doctor.

"So, are you ok?" Jack asked as the implications of what the Doctor had done began to register.

"I'm… fine," the Doctor replied, though he felt anything but. He wasn't sure exactly what his feelings were; all he knew was that his mind and body were fighting an internal war. He wandered over to Jack and sat down on a stool.

"Your not fine. Fine is the time when you and Rose figured out that the nano-genes had caused that empty child. Fine is when you and Rose helped turn that Slitheen into an egg. This is not fine." Jack said pulling up another stool and sitting on the opposite side of the bed to the Doctor.

"Ok, ok. It's… complicated." The Doctor was struggling to find the words, these emotions were too human for him and being a time-lord meant you weren't supposed to get involved with people.

"You mean you're a nine-hundred-year-old alien and she's a nineteen-year-old girl with an over protective Mum," Jack replied carefully watching the Doctor for any signs that might tell him if he was correct. The Doctor continued to stare at Rose and didn't answer for a long time.

"It's more complicated than that," he said finally.

"Because you're a time-lord. I know," Jack sighed.

"But you don't. You have no idea what alone feels like. You humans, you live for ages and even when Cassandra is the last one she doesn't feel alone because of all the mixed human races. But for me it's different. There isn't anyone else. I can't get involved… not only will I outlive her by a million years but I don't know if she feels the same way and besides I couldn't bear it if I lost her again." The Doctor stood up and walked back to the control panel of the TARDIS. "I'm a nine-hundred-year-old time-lord and I'm afraid Jack, afraid of a few simple human feelings."

"Doctor human emotions are one of the least understood concepts in the universe. It's not cowardly to be afraid. Why are you afraid anyway? Rose worships the ground you walk on." Jack replied following the Doctor and laying a hand on his shoulder. "Listen, if you don't take her, I will."

"Take who?" Mumbled Rose from behind them; the Doctor rushed to her side in a flash and Jack wandered back a little more subdued.

"Rose, are you ok?" The Doctor asked taking her hand.

"I'm fine," she replied.

"Do you remember what happened?" Jack kneeled beside the bed next to the Doctor.

"I looked into the heart of the TARDIS, I bought you back, I destroyed the Dalek's and…" Rose blushed but didn't continue her sentence.

Jack rolled his eyes. The pair of them were as bad as each other. If they didn't get their acts together soon he was going to end up shouting the obvious or banging their heads together.

"Where are we going?" Rose asked changing track.

"Home. You've been through too much. Your mother was right. I can't keep you safe. You're going back to your Mum's flat." The Doctor said massaging Rose's fingers and not looking her in the eye.

"You are not." Rose burst out. "After all we've been through. You 're not getting rid of me that easily."

"Rose, a part of me died when I thought I'd lost you. I can't go through that again. You're going home where you'll be safe." The Doctor replied.

"Jack, tell him he's being stupid." Rose shot at Jack suddenly.

"Oh no, leave me out of your domestic situations." Jack stood up and wandered away.

"If you take me home I'll never see you again will I?" Rose mumbled her voice going wobbly.

"Of course you will." The Doctor stood up and started pulling levers and pressing buttons on the control panel. "I'll come and visit you every evening."

"But it was twelve months, not twelve hours when we went back to Mum. What if you make that mistake again? I can't… I need you Doctor." Rose could feel the tears welling up in her eyes.

The Doctor forced himself not to turn around. It was hurting him as much as it was Rose.

"I'm sorry, Rose," the TARDIS shuddered to a stop. Rose strode across the control room in one swift moment pulled open the doors and ran to her Mum's flat, the tears streaming down her face.

"Excellent let down Doctor." Jack said sarcastically following Rose.

"What else was I supposed to do? I can't loose her again Jack," he replied following Jack. Jack hung back while the Doctor closed and locked the TARDIS doors.

"It looks like you already have." Jack muttered under his breath as the two of them walked across the courtyard to the stairway and Jackie Tyler's flat.


	2. Chapter 2

The Doctor and Jack didn't rush up the stairs. They thought it best to give Rose time to calm down.

"Knowing Jackie she probably won't let us in anyway." The Doctor said to Jack knocking on the door.

"If that's you Doctor you can just bog off! I hired a truck and helped my daughter break into your spaceship so she could travel half way across time and space to save you and now you go and break her heart." Jackie shouted from the other side of the door. Jack raised his eyebrows but the Doctor just rolled his eyes.

"Mum! He did not break my heart. He's just being an idiot." Rose's voice floated through as clear as if she were standing next to the Doctor.

"Look, I can't keep her safe. You said yourself that if I can't keep her safe then she had to stay with you." The Doctor persisted. "Rose, don't hate me."

The Doctor sank to his knees and sat with his back to the door. Jack sat next to him.

"Rose?" Asked Jack. "Can we come in?"

"Who is that?" Burst out Jackie.

"His name's Jack he's another friend who's been travelling with us." Rose replied.

"My own daughter travelling with two strange men!"

"They're not strange!"

"You know as fun as this is could we please act our age and have a proper conversation on the same side of the door?" Asked the Doctor shifting himself slightly. Jack laughed but hastily turned it into a cough when he caught the look on the Doctor's face.

The door opened suddenly causing the Doctor to fall onto his back. This time Jack couldn't help but laugh.

"My name's Jack Harkness, pleased to meet you." Jack held his hand out to Jackie who took it.

"Well hello," said Jackie eyeing Jack up and down.

"Mum!" Said Rose coming through as the Doctor stood up. "Don't encourage him, he'll pull anything if stands still long enough."

"Oi," Jack said in mock outrage.

"Come in and I'll get you a cup of tea," Jackie said leading them in.

"What about me?" Asked the Doctor frowning as he and Jack sat down in the living room.

"When you break my daughters heart you forfeit any tea rights you had." Jackie murmured as she left for the kitchen. Rose was curled up in a chair opposite the Doctor.

"Rose, look if there were any other way…" the Doctor began but Rose cut him short.

"Just take me with you. We've been through world war three, defeated a whole troupe of Dalek ships and seen the earth destroyed from space but not a single hair on my head has been hurt. The only pain I've suffered is the pain I'm going through now. Please let me come back, the TARDIS is like my home now," Rose babbled quickly so the Doctor couldn't interrupt.

There was a pause after she said that in which both the Doctor and Rose glanced at Jack.

"I'll go help your Mum with the tea," He said catching on and standing up. Once he had shut the door behind him the Doctor stood up and began pacing.

"The only reason I don't want you to come is because I couldn't bear it if you died… I've had too many comrades fall because of me." The Doctor said keeping his back to her. Rose stood up and wandered over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Doctor, do you still believe, even after all these months we've been together, that you will ever get rid of me?" Rose squeezed his shoulder reassuringly.

"I'm scared Rose, these emotions are too human for me. I don't understand them." The Doctor chuckled half-heartedly. "I can remain calm when facing two thousand ships full of Dalek's or when it looks like the Slitheen are about to eat us, but I'm afraid of a few emotions."

Rose suddenly realised how different yet very similar she and the Doctor were. It was the bond between them that made him feel this way, a bond that had more than once been on the brink of breaking.

"I don't either, but as long as we're together it'll be all right won't it?" Rose asked, but she didn't really need an answer. The Doctor turned round and hugged his best friend.

"You, Rose Tyler, are one in a million," he said; he really meant it and Rose knew.

Jack shut the kitchen door behind him.

"Their having one of their domestic moments," he said quietly to Jackie. She merely tutted and rolled her eyes.

"I don't know why she's so mad about him or why he insist on breaking her heart." Jackie poured tea into four mugs. Though she didn't like the Doctor she knew Rose would complain if he wasn't given a cup of tea.

"They worship each other yet they can't see what's right under their noses," Jack smiled to himself.

"See what?" Asked Jackie bemused.

"Can't you see it? Jackie they're falling in love, they're just too stupid to admit it to themselves or each other." Jack took the cup of tea Jackie passed to him. Jackie's eyes widened.

"I know he's into the hugging, handholding, touching thing, but he's an alien, I thought that was normal for him," Jackie said sipping her tea.

"Well it is, he does that with most people, well the hugging anyway, but that's how he's created such a strong bond with Rose. That's probably why they're falling for each other. They just click." Jack shrugged.

Jackie put the other cups on a tray along with a plate of biscuits and pushed open the living room door.

"Tea," Jackie said as the Doctor and Rose let go of each other.

"I thought you didn't do domestic?" Jack asked smiling as he sat down in his chair. The Doctor and Rose joined him.

"Don't get cocky." The Doctor warned. "Thanks Jackie."

Rose mumbled something about them going for a walk when they'd finished their tea and the Doctor nodded knowing it was just an excuse to get away from Jackie.

Half an hour later the Doctor, Rose and Jack were wandering down the street towards the corner shop. They weren't speaking but not because they hated each other, they just preferred silent companion ship. Rose took the Doctors hand and their fingers intertwined; a sign of forgiveness. Jack tutted but Rose ignored him, the Doctor on the other hand didn't.

"Aww, little Jack feeling left out?" He said in a mock baby voice. "You can hold my hand if you like."

"You don't mind if I pass on that one do you?" Jack replied sarcastically. "Besides, I know holding Rose's hand is strictly your territory."

The Doctor scowled but made no other comment. Rose merely smiled to herself. They were so childish sometimes.

"Rose, you have to promise me one thing," the Doctor whispered after a minute. Rose looked puzzled but didn't say anything. "I'll take you with me if you promise to come back if it gets too much."

Rose nodded. She knew in her heart it would never get too much. They reached the corner shop and she stopped.

"Wait here a minute," she said nipping inside.

The Doctors hand began to go cold without the warmth of Rose's own.

"Why don't you tell her?" Jack hissed as he watched Rose taking something off the shelf and going to pay for it.

"Why? It would only cause more pain." The Doctor replied leaning against the shop window. Jack frowned, he knew it would be better for all three if the Doctor and Rose admitted to each other that they were in love.

Rose came back out the shop holding three packets of sweets. She gave one to the Doctor, one to Jack and held onto the third.

"What are they?" Asked the Doctor looking down at the packet.

"They're called 'Love Hearts'. There's a funny message on each one and you give them to people so they know how you feel about them." Rose smiled slightly.

Jack shot the Doctor a significant look but the Doctor ignored him.

"Thought they'd be funny when we're bored in the TARDIS," Rose pocketed her packet, as did the Doctor and Rose.

"I suppose you want to go then?" Asked the Doctor.

"I'll tell Mum, you two go to the TARDIS," Rose said.

The three of them made their way back and Rose left the Doctor and Jack by the TARDIS. Jack waited until Rose was out of earshot before he started on at the Doctor.

"It's perfect!" He said as the two of them entered the TARDIS. "You give her one of the sweets with 'I love you' written on it and she'll soon get the message!"

"Let's not and say we did," the Doctor replied. "Besides, who said I loved her?"

"Oh, come on Doctor. Even Jackie can see it." Jack exclaimed. He took the packet out of his pocket, opened it and threw an 'I love you' one at the Doctor.

"Aww, Jack! I never knew you felt that way." The Doctor teased.

"Give it to Rose," Jack said ignoring his comment.

They could hear Rose thundering through the yard towards the TARDIS.

"Fine, if you'll lay of my back I'll do it." The Doctor gave in. He knew in his heart that Rose wouldn't realise the significance of the sweet. But when the door flew open the sweet and everything else flew out of his mind.

"Doctor, Jack, it's my Mum, she's gone!" Cried Rose tears streaming down her face for the third time in less than two hours.


	3. Chapter 3

The Doctor and Jack followed Rose as she ran back towards her Mum's flat.

"What happened?" Asked Jack panting as he and the Doctor struggled to keep up with her as she flew up the stairs.

"I don't know, I just went back and she wasn't there! The whole flat's been trashed!" Rose's voice wobbled precariously. In fact Jack was finding hard to understand his female companion.

They ran through the open door and the Doctor knew instantly it was no human attack. Rose sank into an armchair and just stared into space.

"I'll check the other rooms," said Jack leaving the Doctor to sift through the mess. Books, cups, bits of paper, furniture; it was all scattered everywhere. Rose started muttering to herself as the Doctor threw things out the way. He paused. There was a small pile of sticky green glue on the floor. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and examined it. He didn't understand the reading. He'd never come across it before. That was what scared the Doctor most. He'd come across most things. The Doctor pocketed the screwdriver and gently prodded the glue with his finger. He hissed in pain as some kind of electric shock.

"Doctor, Rose, you might want to see this…" Jack called from the bedroom. Rose didn't move. The Doctor wasn't even sure she'd heard. He followed the sound of Jack's rummaging to Rose's room.

"Oh, no," he breathed. Scrawled across the wall in huge letters were the words 'Bad Wolf'. There was a small gasp from behind them and the Doctor and Jack spun round. Rose was stood wide-eyed looking at the words.

"It's fine Rose. It's probably nothing. A misunderstanding, your Mum will be fine!" Jack gabbled quickly steering Rose back to the living room. The Doctor knew it was all lies. Whoever had taken Rose's Mum had meant to do it and left the 'Bad Wolf' signature just to boast. The Doctor knew that the criminal behind this was hurting Rose because that hurt the Doctor more than anything else ever could.

"Doctor…" The Doctor could hear Rose murmuring in the other room and went back through. She looked worse, if that was possible, Jack was gently rubbing her back but it didn't seem to be making much of a difference. The Doctor took Rose's hands in his own and made her look at him.

"It'll be fine. Ok?" He whispered. Rose opened her mouth but couldn't answer. She knew the Doctor had no idea how to save her Mum, but Rose was moved by the fact he remained so positive. Just for her. "Everything is going to be fine."

"How do you know?" Rose asked, whimpering slightly. Jack could see they were getting a little too personal and backed away to look at the pile of green glue.

"I don't, but have I ever let you down?" The Doctor replied. Despite her tears Rose smiled. "Right, c'mon, if we're going to save your Mum we better get back to the TARDIS."

Rose nodded and glanced over at Jack who was poking the odd glue, which had grown by several inches.

"Jack," barked the Doctor smiling.

"Yes sir?" Asked Jack standing up and saluting mockingly.

"We're heading back to the TARDIS, get your butt down the stairs."

The three of them made their way back to the TARDIS a little slower than before.

"Do you know where we're headed?" Jack asked trying to ignore the fact that the Doctor and Rose were holding hands and standing closer, a lot closer, than normal.

"A planet somewhere in the vicinity of Belantic. I think that's where I came across it before." The Doctor replied as the reached the TARDIS. "The TARDIS'll be able to tell us exactly where."

The Doctor opened the doors and the three of them stepped inside. While he was typing the reading into the TARDIS control panel Jack tried to comfort Rose.

"You know the Doctor will sort it out Rose. He'd follow you to the ends of the Earth, well I should say universe." Jack chuckled and Rose smiled slightly. "He worships the ground you walk on Rose."

Rose wanted to believe Jack when he said that, but she knew in her heart that the Doctor's feelings would never reach beyond the point of very close friends. And even if they did he would never tell her, she was sure he'd find it too difficult to accept.

The Doctor banged the console in frustration.

"The TARDIS can't locate the signal." The Doctor glanced at Rose but didn't hold her gaze. He couldn't bear to let her down.

"It's ok," Rose stood up and wandered over to the Doctor. "The planet's got a Jillagean field round it. That's why you can't locate it. The coordinates are sector eleven Q five by seven, next to Fallpotos."

The Doctor stared.

"How did you know that?" He asked quietly, frowning.

Rose seemed to come back to her senses.

"I dunno, it's like I already knew…" Rose shook her head as though trying to dislodge water from her brain.

The Doctor set in the coordinates and Rose sat back down. It took the TARDIS ten minutes to materialise on the planet after figuring out how to counteract the force field around it.

The Doctor stepped outside and muttered an audible 'oh'.

Rose and Jack followed quickly.

"What is it?" Asked Jack. "Ah."

Rose saw what they were looking at.

There were three tall scaly creatures holding them at gunpoint.

"There so friendly," the Doctor smiled taking Rose's hand.

"Now we know why they had a force field around them," muttered Jack.


	4. Chapter 4

"If they split us up," whispered the Doctor to Rose as they were pushed along by the green creatures, "Don't try to escape. I'll find you."

Rose nodded, squeezing his hand. The Doctor threw a meaningful look at Jack who nodded; the Doctor had a plan.

The creatures held them at gunpoint all the way across a featureless desert. The three of them could see a huge building looming ahead. The scaly monsters shoved them through the front door. A third larger lizard person was waiting for them.

"We discovered intruders on the west bank." Hissed the monster behind Rose. Her grip on the Doctor tightened.

"Take the males to the holding cells until our master returns. The girl will come with me. The master shall decide what to do with them later." Replied the third in the same hiss.

The Doctor and Jack were shoved in one direction, Rose in another. The Doctor and Rose's hands were wrenched apart.

"I'll find you." Mouthed the Doctor just before he disappeared down a corridor out of sight.

The Doctor and Jack were led down corridor after corridor and just when they were beginning to wonder how much further they had to go, the scaly creatures opened a side door and shoved them in.

"Our Master will be back later. You will be summoned to her when she is ready. Until then you will wait here." The first one barked shutting and locking the door.

"Like we have a choice," muttered Jack.

"Actually we do," the Doctor replied pressing his ear to the door. When he was sure they were gone he took out his sonic screwdriver and was about to set to work when he noticed his hands. Both had peculiar green marks on them, like scales. He examined them closely.

He hadn't seen the marks this morning. So he must have got them since. That was when it hit him. The green glue in Jackie's front room. The Doctor turned to Jack. He too was examining his hands.

"What is it?" Jack asked the Doctor.

"Some kind of infection." The Doctor replied running the screwdriver over it.

"What's it going to do to us?" Asked Jack carefully, not entirely sure he wanted the answer.

"Well, my guess is, and I'm usually right, we have about an hour to find an antidote or we're going to end up like the guys who captured us." The Doctor smiled.

"We've got a pretty good chance of survival then?" Jack asked sceptically.

"Not really. We've got to break out, find Rose, free Rose, find Jackie, free Jackie and then find an antidote. I know I'm brilliant but I think it might be too much to do, in too little time." The Doctor continued scanning the door with his sonic screwdriver.

Jack sank down to the floor. They'd only just got out of one life threatening situation and now they were in another.

"Great." Jack muttered.

"Could be worse," the Doctor said in a sing-song voice.

"How?" Jack asked exasperatedly.

"I don't know, use your imagination." The Doctor replied slightly annoyed, as he continued with his screwdriver.

Jack didn't say anything else. They remained in silence for a while before Jack suddenly remembered what they'd been doing before they'd been captured.

"When we get out are you going to tell Rose?" Jack asked watching the Doctor's back.

"You've changed your tune." The Doctor replied.

"Huh?" Jack frowned. What on earth was the Doctor on about?

"You said 'When we get out'. Rather more optimistic than previously." The Doctor turned to look back at Jack and Jack noticed how much greener their hands were.

Jack thought. It was an odd situation to be caught in. They were trapped in who knew where and they were talking a domestic situation. The Doctor doing domestic? It was almost to weird for Jack.

"Aha!" The door swung open. The Doctor smiled at Jack. "There, told you we'd get out."

"So, find Rose first?" Jack asked standing up and following the Doctor down the corridor.

"Yep."

"And then?"

"Well we know everything we've got to do; we'll just think about that when we come to it." The Doctor replied glancing at his hands. The scales were already advancing up his arms.

The Doctor had expected to run into the creatures that had captured them, but surprisingly they were no where to be seen. This worried the Doctor. Surely they would have noticed that they were missing by now? Unless… The Doctor froze in the middle of a room that appeared to be the entrance hall they'd first come through.

"What?" Asked Jack.

"It's a trap." He muttered turning to look at Jack.

"Very good Doctor," said a low female voice from behind them. The Doctor and Jack turned. A tall slim woman, who looked about twenty, was clutching Rose's shoulder. Rose looked bad. Her hands were tied behind her back and she was gagged but that wasn't why she looked bad. She had scales growing across her nose and around her eyes. She didn't look quite there but the Doctor noticed a flicker of recognition as she looked at him. Jackie was being carried by more of the scaly creatures; she hadn't been infected by the virus but was unconscious.

"There is an antidote in the tallest tower on the West side. If you can get it and bring it back within the hour then you will be able to save her and her mother. However, if you succeed you will only be allowed to administer the antidote if my father can have you." The woman explained. Her eyes were dark, as though you could see the whole of time and space through them.

"Who's your father?" The Doctor asked suspiciously.

"You know him as the Master." She replied, an evil smile playing across her lips.


	5. Chapter 5

The Doctor grimaced slightly.

"I thought he was dead?" He glanced at Jack, who obviously had no idea who they were talking about.

"He lives on through me. It's a new experiment he was testing. Soul slicing it's known as. In my mind I have a voice, kind of like a conscience; that's my father talking to me." The woman's eyes grew wider and darkened. The Doctor knew that look. It was the same one he had, only evil. She could obviously see across the whole of time and space.

"Whoa. So let me get this straight, we're going to take orders from a woman who claims she can hear her Dad talking to her in her head?" Jack asked raising one eyebrow.

"Don't." Warned the Doctor. "She's not lying. I can see it in her eyes."

"You're clever Doctor, but are you clever enough?" The woman smiled. "There are a series of puzzles you will face along the way. Each more difficult than before. You have an hour. I suggest you go."

The Doctor walked forward slightly, but the creatures hissed.

"Doctor," Jack murmured. The Doctor stopped a little way from Rose.

"I'm going to find that antidote and escape with Rose and her Mum in one piece." He said defiantly.

"Oh really. Well you'd better hurry, you've wasted two precious minutes."

The Doctor ignored her comment and turned walking past Jack and through a door on the other side. Jack followed him, glancing back at Rose who looked so helpless, her eyes screaming out.

"Got a plan?" Jack muttered as the Doctor opened the door.

"Nope," the Doctor replied.

The door shut with a clang behind them and they found themselves in a room with three doors, each one had an inscription above it.

"What do they say?" Asked Jack recognising the Gallifreyan script, even though he couldn't translate.

"The first one says 'Speak Truth And Enter Here'," the Doctor said frowning. He moved one the next. "This one says "Speak Foe And Enter Here' and the last one says, 'Lunch Room'."

"You're joking right?" Jack asked raising one eyebrow.

"Funnily enough no." The Doctor replied.

"So, which one?" Jack looked at the two optional doors. They were exactly the same in colour, height and distinction.

"This one." The Doctor said pointing to the second door.

"How do you know?"

"I Don't." The Doctor hissed something in Gallifreyan and the door opened.

"What did you say?"

"Foe," Jack thought for a long time as they went down the next very dark corridor before finally realising the reason the Doctor had said 'foe'.

After a while they came to a large pit, full of spikes.

"She's very imaginative isn't she?" The Doctor commented. "Not exactly the brightest of enemies I've faced."

"Hark at you," remarked Jack. "You're full of it aren't you?"

"Yup." The Doctor began examining a series of levers on the wall. "I'd say we have to pull the right lever to release a bridge or something to get across the pit."

"What happens if you pick the wrong one?" Jack asked suspiciously. The Doctor pointed somewhere over Jack's shoulder. He turned and saw several large, lethal looking spikes sticking out of the wall opposite.

Jack gulped. "Great."

The Doctor pondered for a few minutes.

"You better pick the right one." Jack warned as the Doctor reached out.

"Look, it's either pick one and hope, or wait for these scales to kill us. Which would you prefer?" The Doctor asked irritably. Jack didn't reply, just threw the Doctor a look of disdain after his back was turned.

"Ok, I' think I've got it." The Doctor said.

"You think?" Jack sounded nervous.

"I know." The Doctor said firmly, pulling the lever.

Nothing happened. Then with an almighty screech, like a cat being strangled, a bridge lowered and the Doctor cried out in joy.

"Wahey. See, I told you I'd do it."

"Never doubted you."

The continued down the corridor and found a door at the end. Once opened they found themselves in a very tall room with a single glass box in the middle. A box, which contained the antidote.

The Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and proceeded cautiously.

"Stay behind me." He warned.

"Wow. Protective aren't you? I thought you were just this way about Rose." Jack smiled knowing he'd hit a nerve.

"Look. We're already in a life threatening situation, I don't need you getting yourself into another one." The Doctor growled.

They crossed the room and after checking the box with his screwdriver the Doctor removed the antidote.

"That was rather easy." The Doctor commented.

"Too easy." Jack agreed.

"Well done Doctor. The only problem with your rescue mission is that you're not going to leave that room alive." Came the woman's voice over the loud speaker.

"Well we'll see about that." The Doctor replied cheerily.

"Even if, by some miracle, you do get out, you won't live. There's only enough antidote for two people and if I've guess right, which I'm sure I have, you will give it to the others." The voice said rather more happily than necessary.

"You're forgetting one thing." The Doctor said. "I'm a Time-Lord. I can regenerate."

"Doctor, Doctor, Doctor." The voice laughed. "I know you can regenerate. Which is why I added a special formulae to stop you being able to do that."

Jack looked at the Doctor and could see the look of determination in his face.

"Cleverer than I thought." He muttered.

"Good-bye Doctor. It was nice knowing you, and your hunkey companion." The voice laughed.

Jack smiled slightly but hastily hid it when the Doctor turned to look at him. A large hole opened in each of the walls and water began to pour out. It wasn't long before the Doctor and Jack were floating at least twenty foot off the ground.

"I hope you can swim." The Doctor said grimly.


	6. Chapter 6

"You know, if you think about it, this is your fault." The Doctor scowled. They had little over three minutes before they would be totally submerged.

Jack stared in disbelief.

"What? How on earth is this _my_ fault?" Jack asked watching the floor sink away. He was starting to feel ill.

"Well, before you came along, there was no tension between me and Rose, before there was tension between us she wouldn't have tried to save me by looking into the TARDIS, in which case I wouldn't have taken her back to her Mum and we wouldn't be floating forty feet above the floor." The Doctor spluttered, trying not to swallow any water.

"That's not fair. You know that tension would've built up eventually. If you weren't jealous the tension wouldn't have come about so quickly. Besides, you'd be dead if Rose hadn't looked into the TARDIS and we both know that I had nothing to do with her being desperate to save you." Jack replied.

The Doctor sighed. He knew Jack was right, but just for once he'd like to be able to stay out of danger for more than five minutes.

"Would this be a bad time to mention I get sea sick?" Asked Jack. The Doctor had to try _very_ hard not to roll his eyes.

They had nearly reached the ceiling. The Doctor glanced around, looking for a way out. He saw a small ventilation shaft.

"Right." He said setting his Sonic Screwdriver. "We're getting out. Stay here, I need to get the shaft open."

The Doctor swam down and Jack watched him. It was funny, because every time he used the screwdriver, bubbles rose up. Jack's head was banging on the ceiling when the Doctor came back up to the surface.

"Follow me. It's not a very long tunnel but you'll need to be able to hold your breath for at least a minute, got it? If you're having trouble let me know. The screwdrivers got a breathing apparatus setting." The Doctor looked optimistic, but Jack knew that the likely hood of them getting out alive was slim.

They dived down and wriggled through the shaft one at a time. The Doctor found a locking system and worked as fast as he could to open the hatch. Jack felt himself begin to ache. He needed air. The Doctor had two hearts, he'd be alright for a bit, but Jack knew he wouldn't last much longer. Jack kept talking to himself in his head in a bid to keep himself conscious. A few seconds later (though it felt like years) Jack knew he was giving up the ghost. The Doctor had failed. Rose would die. His last thoughts before he slipped out of consciousness were of the time the Doctor, himself and Rose had visited a beach and had a day off. It's funny how even when they were taking a break they still ended up running for their lives.

The Doctor worked furiously. He could sense Jack slipping away. The TARDIS inside his brain was informing him of life readings. Rose was alive, but only just, Jack was unconscious and needed air quickly. The door behind them in the tunnel shut and the door in front opened draining the water. The Doctor gasped as fresh air hit his lungs. He dragged himself out of the tunnel and pulled Jack after him. In the previous room they had been forty foot in the air but in this new room they were only an inch from the floor.

The Doctor ran the screwdriver over Jack.

"C'mon. Jack don't you dare leave me and don't think I'm giving you the kiss of life either." The Doctor muttered as he worked frantically with the screwdriver. Jack sat bolt upright and coughed. The Doctor watched him cough and suddenly realised Jack was laughing.

"The kiss of life?" Asked Jack.

"Oh, shut up. Now is not the time." The Doctor dragged Jack up. "We need to find Rose and quickly."

They looked at each other; scales where beginning to grow over their noses and their arms were covered. If this was how bad they were, then Rose would be worse.

They ran down corridors desperately trying to find Rose and her captor. They skidded along and finally burst through a lunch room.

"Fantastic!" The Doctor cried.

"Enlighten me. Why is this fantastic?" Jack asked.

"The three doors." The Doctor cried throwing himself across the room. "One of them said lunch room!"

They burst through the door on the other side and found themselves in the room with the three doors. They opened the one they'd come through previously and found Rose almost unrecognisable. Her whole face was green as well as her arms and even her hair was starting to turn.

The Doctor and Jack ran forward.

"Well done Doctor." Said the evil woman who'd done this. "Shame you will die, isn't it? Well, that's if you leave of course. If you stay here you'll live as one of my scalies while your brain is used by me."

The Doctor ran over to Rose and Jack went to Jackie.

"Don't!" The Doctor shouted. Jack froze. "If you touch her there'll be two people who have to die."

Jack came back to the Doctor as he administered half the antidote to Rose. The effect was instantaneous. The scales began to fade and her hair turned blonde.

"Here," the Doctor handed the rest of the antidote to Jack and backed away, so as not to contaminate the pair again.

"But…" Jack didn't know what to say.

"Just drink it ok. Someone has to be there to look after Rose and the TARDIS." The Doctor muttered.

Rose sat bolt upright, like she was awakening from a nightmare.

"Doctor." She whispered staring at him. She made to crawl towards him but the Doctor backed away.

"Don't. I'll infect you again. There's no more antidote." The Doctor said. Jack was just finishing off the antidote and as Rose watched him the Doctor could see all the memories come flooding back to her and the realisation of what was happening.

"No." She whispered. "No. Can't you do something?"

"No. You'll have to leave me here. Regeneration won't work because _she's _done something to the poison." The Doctor watched Rose. The pain in her eyes was unbearable.

"You can't leave me. That's just not fair." Rose whimpered, tears flowing down her cheeks. Jack left the two of them and went to check Jackie was ok.

"Life isn't fair Rose." The Doctor replied.

Rose couldn't stand it. She could taste the blue liquid of the antidote on her lips still. She reached a hand up to touch her lips and then looked at her hand. She could do it.

"Rose." The Doctor warned. He knew exactly what was going through her mind.

Anyone who has met Rose Tyler knows just how stubborn and determined she can be, especially when saving someone else's life. So really, the Doctor had no chance of stopping her. She crept closer and closer.

"If you're going to die, I want to be the last thing you remember." Rose whispered, pulling him as close as possible and kissing him. The antidote left seeped from Rose's mouth to the Doctor's. She could feel his tongue licking it up hungrily. But then he pulled away.

"Rose. Do you realise how dangerous that was?" He glanced down at his hands. The scales, thankfully, began to fade. "If that hadn't worked…"

"But it did." Rose said forcefully. "You saved my life with a kiss, I'm returning the favour."

Jack had carried Jackie over to the pair and was stood next to them.

"NO!" Cried a voice from across the hall. The woman had seen what had happened. "You will not leave!"

"Hmm, funny, but I thought that's what I was doing. It was nice knowing you." The Doctor stood up grabbing Rose's hand.

The woman hissed and the scalies began to close in.

"Run!" The Doctor ran, hand in hand with Rose, Jack not far behind them. There were lasers being fired from every which way. Several hit their targets, but not in a place that would be serious.

The Doctor fumbled with the key, but managed to throw open the doors of the TARDIS and get everyone inside before the scalies caught up with them. Jack took Jackie over to the door that led to the bedroom.

The Doctor didn't have time to do anything, because he found that Rose flung her arms around him before he could move very far.

"I thought I'd never see you again. I only remember seeing you leave to get the antidote, and then all I could think about was my worst memories." Rose mumbled. The Doctor didn't say anything at first, just hugged his best friend close.

"You didn't think I'd abandon you, did you?" Asked the Doctor.

"I knew you'd save me, but I thought you'd take me back to my Mum's before I woke up." Rose sniffed.

"No, Rose. You've proved that I can't get rid of you. Besides, I don't think I could live without you." The Doctor replied. "C'mon. I need to take your Mum home and then I'll take you back to Watopia."

Rose let the Doctor go and he laughed at her vacant expression.

"The planet with the frozen waves." He explained.

"Ok." Rose smiled. "That'd be great. I'm going to make sure Jack and my Mum are ok."

The Doctor nodded and began to set the TARDIS into flight.

Rose walked into the bedroom where her Mum was asleep on the bed and Jack was cutting strips of bandage.

"You ok?" Rose asked Jack, watching him tie bandage round several cuts on his arms.

"Yeah. Those lasers hurt though." He replied. "Your Mum's ok though. Looks like they just gave her sleeping pills or something."

Jack looked up. Rose's face was completely clear of scales but there were still several scratches and bruises. They'd obviously treated her badly. Rose glanced down at her hands. One of them was bleeding rather badly.

"Here. Let me." Jack rubbed some antiseptic into Rose's hand, apologising profusely every time she hissed in pain. He then bandaged up her battered right hand so she didn't rub it against anything.

"Thanks." She smiled slightly. "You know that love heart idea was a good one."

"What?" Jack looked stunned. "How do you know about that?"

"I'm not quite sure. I think it might be some kind of after effect from the time vortex." Rose replied.

"Well, there's no point talking to me about that. It's you and the Doctor who need do talk about that." Jack said.

Rose nodded. She knew she'd have to talk to the Doctor sometime, but she was hoping to wait. Maybe if she was walking under a hundred foot high wave, it might be easier


	7. Chapter 7

The Doctor set the TARDIS into flight. They had just spent an hour at Jackie's having a cup of tea as a very grudging 'thank you'. Rose was now sat in a chair cross-legged staring into space. Jack was wandering around aimlessly, not sure what to do.

"You'll like this place. We've been there before." The Doctor said after a minute. "But you might want to wrap up warm."

Rose frowned slightly.

"How warm?" She asked.

"Coat, scarf, gloves. Possibly hat warm." The Doctor grinned. Rose went to fetch her stuff and Jack wandered over to the Doctor.

"Where exactly are we going?" He asked.

"Have you heard of the planet Bindoux?" The Doctor asked.

"Yeah…" Jack replied not meeting the Doctor's gaze.

"Oh, what did you do?" The Doctor looked at Jack in disbelief. He couldn't go anywhere without Jack having been there and insulted someone first.

"Well… you know those two executioners I ended up in bed with? Well they… err… they live on Bindoux." Jack replied smiling sheepishly.

"Well, luckily for you, we're going there after all life has left." The Doctor said pulling some levers on the control panel.

Rose came back wrapped up in all her gear and the TARDIS shuddered to a stop.

"Are you not putting anything else on?" Asked Rose. The Doctor was only wearing his leather jacket over his white shirt.

"Nah, I don't feel the cold unlike you apes." The Doctor grinned.

"Hey. I resent that." Said Jack. "I'm an ape and I don't feel the cold!"

Rose couldn't help laughing at Jack. The Doctor rolled his eyes and went and opened the doors of the TARDIS.

"Oh. This planet." Said Rose smiling as she remembered the last time they'd been here. Waves a hundred foot high were frozen in weird and wonderful shapes.

The last time they'd been here was before she'd finally broken up with Mickey.

"Wow. This is a _lot_ different to how I remember it." Jack muttered running his hand over the transparent ice.

The Doctor shut the TARDIS and offered his hand to Rose.

"Shall we?" He asked. Rose took his hand. "I thought we deserved a break."

Jack looked at the pair as they began to walk between the waves and decided to wait by the TARDIS until they came back. He wasn't sure he wanted to be around when they got all mushy.

The pair walked a little way from the TARDIS and stopped under a large wave.

"So…" began Rose. "Are you going to talk now?"

"It wasn't that I wouldn't before. I just… find it hard sometimes." The Doctor replied. "You have to remember that I haven't travelled with someone for a very long time."

"I know. I'm sorry. But you know it's not that hard to say it." Rose watched him. His bright, intense blue eyes full of pain.

"It is when you've been through as much as me. I mean… there's no one who's the same as me. No one else who can see across the whole of time and space." The Doctor sighed.

"You've still got me." Rose said frowning. "And I did. I still can, just not in the same way."

"You what?" The Doctor said slightly confused.

"The time vortex. When it was running through my head I could see everything and now… well it's not quite the same but I can see inside your head. The whole of time and space but you're only thinking about one thing. Every five minutes the same conversation in your head. The complications of your actions if you carried out what your hearts long you too." Rose whispered.

The Doctor stared.

"Wow." He couldn't quite meet Rose's gaze.

"You could just say it you know. Tell me what you want to say… what I want to hear." Rose edged closer. "I already know what it is. But until you say it out loud you won't admit it to yourself."

The Doctor looked up.

"Will you stay off my back if I do?" Asked the Doctor grinning.

"Of course." Rose said, though they both knew that her pestering nature would still be there the next day.

"You, Rose Tyler, are one amazing person. I'm so glad I met you. You are best friend in the whole universe and that's saying something coming from me- ow."- Rose punched him gently. "-And I…I love you."

Rose smiled.

"I love you too." She leaned forward and kissed him. It was different from a normal kiss, much deeper, stretching from their lips all the way to their minds. Knowing exactly what the other was thinking and feeling; this was what it felt like to be soul-mates.

"Umm, guys?" Jack came stumbling through the forest of waves.

The pair broke their kiss rather reluctantly.

"What?" Asked the Doctor slightly annoyed.

"We might have a problem." Jack pointed to several blue creatures distorted by the ice, searching for something.

"Where did they come from?" The Doctor shot Jack a dirty look.

"Don't look at me like that. I don't know where they came from. You said there would be nobody here." Jack whispered as the creatures got closer.

"Well, we were supposed to be taking a break but I guess the only place Jack's not going to get into trouble is the TARDIS." The Doctor thought better of this when he said it. "Do you know what, lets just run shall we?"

The Doctor grabbed Rose's gloved hand and the pair ran back to the TARDIS with Jack just behind.

Once they'd slammed the TARDIS doors behind them and set the ship in flight Rose wandered over to the Doctor.

"I know about the love heart sweet by the way; and I remember the kiss to save me from the time vortex." Rose whispered.

"I know." The Doctor smiled.

Rose knew that no matter what happened or where they went, they would be fine as long as they were together.


End file.
